Robert Preston Brooks (July 23, 1881 in

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to buil ...

– October 28, 1961 in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

) was one of the first recipients of the

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, and later served as the first dean of the School of Commerce (renamed the Terry College of Business in 1991) at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

from 1920 to 1945. Brooks authored numerous books and papers about Georgia, with emphasis on history and commerce.

Personal life

Brooks graduated from the Georgia Military College at Milledgeville, Georgia in 1899. Robert immediately got a job in Cartersville, Georgia as a secretary to John W. Akin (President of the Iron Belt Railroad and Mining Company, the Cherokee Ochre and Barites Company and the Southern Plaster Company). Robert did all of his letter writing and kept books of the several corporations that John Akin managed, all for a salary of forty dollars per month. After six months in Cartersville, Robert worked for two years in Valdosta, Georgia for the Valdosta Foundry and Machine Company. Later, Brooks received a doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1904, Brooks became one of the first recipients of the

and was the first Rhodes Scholarship pupil sent from Georgia to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. Brooks married Josephine Reid in 1908 and they had three daughters; Josephine Reid Brooks (1909), Eugenia Preston Brooks (1916), Anne Moore Brooks (1919). In 1910, Robert and Josephine Brooks were living in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia. Robert Preston Brooks died in Athens, Georgia, on October 28, 1961, and was buried in the Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.

University of Georgia

Brooks was the dean of the School of Commerce at the University of Georgia from 1920 to 1945. Before that, he was professor of history.See author description for "R.P.B." in v. 31 of the 1922 ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

''. The Business Administration Building was renamed "Robert Preston Brooks Hall." In 1957, he authored the book ''Under Seven Flags''. At the time of his death, he was a Dean Emeritus of the University of Georgia.

Writings

*''The Agrarian Revolution in Georgia, 1865-1912'' (1914) *''History of Georgia'' (1913) *''The Financial History of Georgia'' (1952) *''Under Seven Flags'' (1957) *''Georgia Studies'' (1969)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Robert Preston 1881 births 1961 deaths People from Milledgeville, Georgia University of Georgia faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni American Rhodes Scholars Writers from Georgia (U.S. state)

Personal life

University of Georgia

Writings

See also

References